62nd KANAGAWA PREFECTURAL HS ATHLETIC MEET (JPN)
- Friday, June 21st – Sunday, June 23rd
- Yokohama International Pool
- LCM (50m)
- Results
While the swimming community’s eyes are locked into the elite competitions happening around the world including the U.S. Olympic Trials and European Championships, a big-time performance emerged at a high school meet in Japan.
Racing on day one of the 62nd Kanagawa Prefectural Athlete Meet, 17-year-old Mizuki Hirai fired off a head-turning outing of 56.33 in the women’s 100m butterfly.
Hirai opened in 26.26 and closed in 30.07 to establish a new lifetime best. The outing overtook her previous career-quickest result of 56.91, the time she registered to win the event at this year’s Japanese Olympic Trials to qualify for next month’s Olympic Games. That previous PB included splits of 26.66/30.25.
Hirai broke through with the bronze at last year’s World Junior Championships. She punched a time of 58.35 there in Netanya so the teen has already dropped 2 seconds in less than a year in this pet event.
Her performances have been steadily putting the World Junior Record on notice. That WJR stands unofficially at the 56.20 and officially at the 56.43 American Claire Curzan put on the books in 2021,
In the meantime, Hirai remains Japan’s #2 performer in history and sits just .25 away from Rikako Ikee‘s national record of 56.08 notched in 2018.
Hirai’s rapid 56.33 mark now ranks her 6th in the world on the season.
2023-2024 LCM Women 100 Fly
WALSH
55.18 WR
| 2 | Torri HUSKE | USA | 55.52 | 06/16 |
| 3 | Regan SMITH | USA | 55.62 | 06/16 |
| 4 | Yufei ZHANG | CHN | 55.86 | 09/27 |
| 5 | Angelina KOHLER | GER | 56.11 | 02/11 |
| 6 | Emma MCKEON | AUS | 56.40 | 02/24 |
| 7 | Margaret MACNEIL | CAN | 56.44 | 07/28 |
| 8 | MIZUKI HIRAI | JPN | 56.47 | 08/20 |
| 9 | Claire CURZAN | USA | 56.61 | 02/12 |
| 10 | Brianna Throssell | AUS | 56.77 | 04/20 |
Excellent time. An awful lot of fast times seem to be swum at Japanese high school meets. Given her age and trajectory she has to be given an outside chance of a minor medal in Paris.
Japan could do some damage in the women’s medley relay if they can find a better backstroke leg, put Hirai on the fly leg, move Ikee to the free leg, and they have an awesome breast leg.
Could someone explain why this isn’t a new WJR? Is it bc it’s not at a big official meet?
I think so…
no swimswam has everything on their site. curzans fastest 100 fly as junior was 56.20 but her 56.43 is the official wjr record instead. that might be for the same reason as this not becoming the wjr
Usually has to do with if drug testing was done at a meet or not. Similar to the 4IM WJR With summer a few years ago
Japanese look good at Butterfly.
Some favorites in medley relay, like China and UK, are annoying because they dont have the good butterflier.
There was a two-second improvement within less than a year and a massive new PB at a meet where she probably wasn’t tapered.
She seems to be one of the favorites to medal in Paris. Maybe even a dark horse for gold?
Typically these youngsters without international experience add time on the big stage. I think give it a few more international competitions and she can emerge as a true medal favorite.
Unless she drops another second no she won’t win gold.